The Flaming Lips at Belly Up Aspen, 12/27/10

By Jon Solomon Tue., Dec. 28 2010 at 10:14 AM

Categories: Last Night

Jon Solomon

THE FLAMING LIPS
With Vitamins
12.27.10 | Belly Up Aspen

A few weeks ago, Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne stopped by the Belly Up to scope out the 450-seat venue. "I wanted to see how much of a Flaming Lips show [we can do] in this small spot here," Coyne said to the sold-out crowd just before starting the show. "And I thought, 'I don't know if we can fucking do anything.' But I was convinced by higher powers that we should do every fucking thing we can."

And so it was. The Lips crammed as much gear as they could on the small Belly Up stage and delivered a show on par with the kind of gigs they do for 10,000-person venues, including the confetti cannons, balloons, Coyne's giant laser hands, huge mirror balls, and the space bubble.

The only thing was, there wasn't quite enough room for the ball to fit between the lights and the crowd. So Coyne asked the people near the stage to get down on the floor. While the rest of band played "Sleeping on the Roof," Coyne got in the bubble, and a few minutes later it hit one of the overhead stage lights, sparks flew, and the bubble got punctured.

Jon Solomon

"I wanted to go again," Coyne said about the bubble after "Worm Mountain." "But it wouldn't have worked. It would have just been floppier and floppier. But what the fuck -- we tried."